The van made a quick U-turn and headed back to the villas.

Ideally, they’d be in and out before the Guard reacted. Now, they had no choice but to join the rest of the gangs for part two of the plan.

Both vans met up near a manhole. There was no direct entry from the sewer system here unlike the central city, but there was a sewer system.

Bull leaped out, followed by the members of Blade’s Edge and Fallen Bridge.

An elvish kid ran out of one of the houses, tugging a bicycle, but shrieked and ran back inside after seeing the sheer number of crazies on the street.

All forty five of them went over to the villa. Instead of attacking in masse, two orcs and two trolls formed a team and ran over.

The bodyguards, on sighting the incoming battalion, directed the streams of fire towards them. But they had only six flamethrowers and could only attack six such teams.

The remaining gang members and bodyguards attacked in a free for all.

Corn joined Bull’s team. He had to get closer to understand how the Device worked.

Once they saw the stolen flamethrower, a stream of fire was directed at them and several bodyguards ran to their barrier. In seconds, the barrier crackled and disappeared.

Corn gulped down the stream of flames, while Bull and the others defended him from the bodyguards.

Corn could see another duo direct their flames to him, so he cast a spell circle and threw an ice blade at them. The blade hit the flamethrower but merely dented it. After all, the hollow cylinder of the flamethrower was a spell circle itself. It wouldn’t be that easily damaged.

All the mana he gained from the flames, he converted to directing a barrage of ice blades at the other flamethrower. Despite his slow speed, since the Device they were holding wasn’t Mauled, they couldn’t move fast enough to avoid his attacks and fire at him.

But the orcs and trolls were losing.

For each punch an orc landed on the bodyguard, they managed to receive two more. The quality of their equipment and their lesser techniques were whittling them down.

A bodyguard sucker punched Bull towards Corn.

Corn nimbly side stepped, but a stream of flames torched the armour on his right arm.

Another troll fell to the ground. Two bodyguards ran straight at Corn, the biggest threat.

A Mauled machete and spear swung towards Corn, blocking his escape.

Just before they could reach, a stream of flames blasted forth at the two bodyguards. They ran back screaming.

Corn laughed maniacally.

He figured it out. He had no idea how two non-mages were using a Device that used Magic, but he figured it out. It had nothing to do with the array of switches on the cylinder. In his desperation, he pushed mana into the bright spots of the cylinder and like flood gates being opened, flames burst forth.

Corn swung the flame thrower in a neat arc. All those standing around him were bodyguards anyway.

Several of those wielding the flamethrowers directed their flames at him. Corn ate the streams he could and danced around the others. The mana he used was quickly recharged, so his reserves weren’t depleted.

Either way, as the attention of the bodyguards turned to Corn, the other gang members broke ground.

Endurance controlled daggers flew his way.

He ate those too!

He didn’t swallow them all, just bit the ones he could and dodged the others. Instead of chewing them whole, he just kept them in his mouth like lollipops.

The bodyguards were at an impasse now. If they focused on Corn, the other crazies would gain ground. If they didn’t, Corn would wreak havoc.

That was when a lion kin bodyguard, without a helmet, came close and produced three barriers at once. Instead of the usual barrier, this one shone with a greater amount of power. It was probably a colored barrier that he had seen more experienced members of the Guard use.

One he used as a shield and the other two he wreathed around two swords and directed them at Corn.

Instead of merely flinging it in the air, the swords floated in the air and attacked Corn. They weaved to and fro, their maneuvers growing increasing more complex.

Corn couldn’t dodge two swords, eat a stream of flames and direct a stream of flames at the others.

The dancing swords overwhelmed him and rendered him unable to do anything. They cut into the gaps in his armour and even though the stream of flames didn’t torch him, they kept him boxed in one area.

The lion kin bodyguard charged at him.

Bull got up, rubbing her head, and managed to wrestle the bodyguard to a stop. Two Mauled bodies pushing into each other caused a thin web of fractures on the ground.

The remaining trolls got up and managed to set up a square barrier between Corn and the flames. Once they stood next to Corn, they extended the barrier into the shape of a cube.

Corn kneeled on the ground, clutching his head. Even if he was fine physically, the usage of his Stat left him weary. He never had this much mana to channel through his nodes before. The pain on his nodes and the headache was causing his vision to blur.

Even if the barrier was fresh, the force of two streams of flames and two swords was quickly going to destroy it. Bull was slowly being overwhelmed by the lion kin.

That’s when one of the flamethrowers stopped spewing flames. Whatever was powering the Devices ran out of juice.

One of the bodyguards wielding the Device quickly ran back to the villa but Corn acted first. He raised the flamethrower and spewed flames breaking his own barrier and attacking the two bodyguards.

They didn’t defend themselves with any of their Stats and instead chose to die. Before he could go after their leftover Life counters, two swords shot towards him.

The two trolls each managed to separate and handle the two blades, while Corn ran towards Bull. He rained flames towards the bodyguard tussling with Bull.

The bodyguard yelped and a rectangular barrier formed behind the bodyguard, covering his back. Corn kept up the pressure, giving Bull a reprieve.

It was four on one.

Bull slammed her shoulder onto the bodyguard just as one of the trolls managed to trap a sword in a barrier. The troll quickly shrunk her barrier and prevented the bodyguard from using the sword’s mass to break the barrier.

They almost had him, when the bodyguard roared gutturally. A glowing barrier sprung up all over his armour and head, perfectly covering all the contours of his body. Neither the flames, nor Bull could break it.

The bodyguard jumped into the air and flew into the sky. He quickly flew away from the range of the flames.

Corn opened his mouth in shock. You could use a barrier to fly??

His team mates quickly collected the Life counters and armour of the dead bodyguards. As he looked around him, he could see that they had won this part of the battle. Crazies were looting Life counters and armour of the bodyguards they had slain while ditching any clothing.

Those wielding a flamethrower quickly retreated. The flying lion kin managed to slay a resting troll before proceeding to slip back inside the villa’s barrier.

They had managed to kill at least 20 bodyguards while losing only 5 crazies. For now, their numbers had beaten skill.

Like all the others, Corn regrouped with his gang members and began to recoup. He could ignore the physical pain of his pounding head, but the pain in his nodes was too much to bear.

“Quickly get them you fools, they’re escaping!”

Corn looked around and asked Bull, “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

“Now! Now! Now!”

Corn stood up and searched for the source of the sound.

That’s when the third floor windows of the villa sprung open. Six bodyguards flew out in a similar fashion to the lion kin. In pairs of two, they supported three others. One was Moon and the other two, a fat human and an elvish maid, Corn had seen at her initiation ceremony at the temple.

They must have realised what the gangs were targeting and decided to escape.

They were just at the edge of his vision when a dagger flew at them. The bodyguards dived down to avoid the dagger hitting the fat woman.

Speed users dove into the air, jumping from nearby buildings. The flow of core in the lower parts of their body slowed down their descent and the core in the front of their body sped up their jump. The result was they glided across the air.

Corn was impressed. He could see ten such Speed users glide across and attack the last two flying bodyguards. Even if the bodyguards themselves were hard to beat, they had to protect others who seemed Stat-less.

Corn was sure, beyond his vision, more Speed users were attacking the other bodyguards.

The Speed users began to fall back to the ground.

Those on the ground poised their weapons. Out of nowhere another party had attacked their target. Corn and Bull joined Night and the other Barren Lords. They were just as confused.

A few of the Speed users managed to cling on to the bodyguards. Using their weight, they dragged the bodyguards to the ground. One of the bodyguards tore off the helmet of a Speed user, revealing a pointy nose and greenish skin.

Everyone gasped. Hobgoblins.

Ever since they had stolen large batches of Freedom counters, the ostracism the hobs felt was immense. Most hobgoblin gangs had gone into total hiding and even Alt was barely accepted back into their gang.

Were they here to steal Freedom counters again? Who would even qualify?

Corn felt his anger burn and gasped, “It’s Moon. They want to steal her Freedom counters.”

She was the only one who looked young. Corn initially dismissed it because youth wasn’t particularly special to the rich and powerful, but she was the only one that made sense.

“No fucking way,” swore the orc Barren Lord. “Her father owns a mercenary company.”

The troll Barren Lord nodded, “Most of the initial thefts were victims of opportunity. All of them were less well off. After all, Freedom counters are no different whether rich or poor. Then why bother attacking the rich?”

Bull grunted. “Then why are there more hobs on her?”

Corn picked up the chewed up dagger and bit into it. He was going to need all the mana he could get.

He aimed his flamethrower and spewed flames on the hobgoblins.

Three of the hobgoblins were caught unaware and suffered serious burns. Some of them dodged out of the way and others pirouetted towards Corn.

Before they could reach him a barrier sprung up covering Corn, Bull and the other Barren Lords. The barrier was a cuboid except for a little hole through which Corn could aim his flamethrower.

The orc Barren Lord turned to the troll, “Ya out of your mind?”

“It’s a trap. What are the chances that just as a buyer asks us to steal a ring and we attack, an entire gang of hobs descends. The timing is too coincidental! The hobs planned this attack all along and made us a diversion.

We were played!”

The orc grunted and spat on the tarmac. He then cupped his hands and yelled, “Attack the hobs!”

The three gangs roared and engaged the enemy. The hobgoblins danced around and dodged where they could, but they couldn’t withstand the attack of both the gangs and the bodyguards.

Meanwhile, Corn, Bull and the three Barren Lords headed towards Moon.

The lion kin and another bodyguard erected barrier after barrier to keep fifteen hobgoblins away from her. They were losing.

Corn rained fire, Night emptied all the magazines he had and the troll Barren Lord pushed barriers at the hobgoblins. Using the distraction, two orcs rushed at Moon.

Two hobgoblins zipped towards the orcs and kept them away. The two bodyguards tried to keep both the orcs and the hobs away and at each other’s throats.

“THIS IS THE GUARD! ALL USERS STOP USING YOUR STATS AND PLACE ANY DEVICES ON THE GROUND!”

The booming announcement caused everyone to pause and turn their eyes above. After surrounding the perimeter, the Guard must have headed towards the battle itself.

While the craftier ones used the distraction to attack their opponents, Corn ran.

He really didn’t want the girl to become a slave of any sort. But it was three gangs, the bodyguards and the Guard against the hobgoblins. Was she really in any harm?

His gang would probably fail the mission. It was a stupid plan, after all. Leaving aside the stupidity of the plan, the hobgoblins attacking and hearing those voices again were all pretty mysterious. But he wasn’t going to lose a life to clutch at straws.

So he ran and just in time too.

Seconds after, the Guard rained projectiles at everyone.

Corn narrowly escaped, a hob right behind him sputtered and died. As he turned to grab the Life counter, he surveyed the scene behind him.

Everyone was dead. Only MoonLily was still alive, bleeding badly, but Corn wasn’t concerned. She was immortal, so she would survive. The ring was no doubt still there, but there was no way he was losing a life for it.

“You called the Guard? Really?”

“Relax, they were the backup plan. If the hobgoblins didn’t get them, then the Guard will.”

Corn sighed and changed his plans. Damn these people! Would it never end?

He ran towards Moon, hoisted her up and ran towards the sewers. He had to protect her until she received her Freedom counters.